“I knew they were concerned about the store, but I also knew they were concerned about their orders, so I wanted to take care of them and let them know we are still there for them,” said Diaz.

It’s been nearly weeks since a Jan. 3 blaze destroyed Diaz’s
store. Charred tables, couches and chairs have been removed and the smell of
smoke has been washed away by wind and rain. The owner of the property has
vowed to rebuild, but in the meantime, Diaz is looking for a temporary building
to open and serve his customers, but the rent is exorbitant. “I’ve gotten
sticker shock these last few days,” he said.

He hopes to be up and running later this spring or early in the summer. Until then Diaz is working out of his home and his car. He and his six employees are starting to rebuild their inventory while still fulfilling open orders.

“I’m just trying my best to get everybody’s orders taken care of,” Diaz said, “and we’re trying really hard to make sure we don’t miss anyone.”

Sergio Diaz

One setback is insurance. Diaz said he was underinsured. He
was covered for $100,000 in inventory and lost about $300,000 in the fire.
“That’s something I would tell other retailers is to check your policy and make
sure it’s up to date,” Diaz said. “It got to be that I was paying my premium
every month by just having them charge my credit card and I never really
examined it after a while. I wish I had.”

This is not the first time Diaz has started over in
furniture. Diaz, who was born and raised in Santa Maria, opened his first
store, S.F. Furniture, in 1992, and ran it for 16 years before the recession in
2008 prompted him to close shop and leave the area. After relocating to Las
Vegas, Diaz opened a store that specialized in children’s furniture and
accessories.

He moved back to Santa Maria in 2016 and decided to open
another furniture store after hearing from longtime residents who bought
furniture from him when he owned S.F. Furniture.

Diaz said strong customer service and the personal touch he
offered his customers — he opened and closed the shop, scheduled deliveries and
handled sales six days a week — kept them loyal and coming back.

“I made a lot of my friends
from owning that store,” he said. “I might be a merchant and sell
products, but I’m also someone who remembers when they had their first kid. We
have a history.”